So far behind we're... really behind

As a real estate boom makes affordable housing increasingly hard to find in New Orleans, the City Council is
experimenting with new zoning strategies aimed at giving developers an
incentive to include space for low-income residents in their projects.

The council made its most recent move Thursday (July 23) when it approved a rule that
allows apartment developers to build on smaller lots in exchange for
including some units set aside for low-income residents. The bonus would
be available in any district that allows multifamily units, including
most of Treme, Faubourg Marigny and Bywater.

Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, who
has been increasingly vocal about the need to mitigate the displacement
associated with gentrification, sponsored the new rule, calling the
amendment a good "first step" and saying that other zoning changes are
in the works.

"Everyone in New Orleans knows that we are in the midst of an affordability crisis," Cantrell said.

It won't work here either. But, from the city's point of view, the point is not to pass something that actually works. The point is to appear as though they tried something. Here's a "best practice." Let's throw this at it.